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Arte Vann and Erica Harris tied the knot in an airport after falling in love on Instagram. (Picture: KCal9)

So this is what relationships look like in 2016. Expect the first Snapchat engagement by next year.

Mother-of-three Erica Harris, of California, first ‘met’ New Yorker Arte Vann in March last year. Their story started as many others do – a chance encounter, that scary first move, friendship, and then something more.

Except this story has a bit of a twist – their entire relationship happened on Instagram.

Erica randomly came across Arte’s Instagram and thought he had a cute profile picture. She did a little Instagram stalking (as we all do), and was drawn to how he interacted with people in his photos’ comments.

Erica told the Daily Mail: ‘What drew me to him is a lot of men, you can tell how they are to women through their comments.

‘I saw that Arte was very personal, and he was very attentive, and thought “Wow this guy seems like a nice guy”.’

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Erica didn’t go straight for the follow button. Instead she liked a few of Arte’s photos. He noticed, and responded by tagging her in a selfie.

Erica found Arte attractive so gave him a follow. He followed back, and they quickly started commenting on each other’s photos and direct messaging.

This led to long phone conversations over the next few months as the couple learned more about each other.

Then, in May, Erica got spooked. She felt they were becoming too close, so cut off communication. Both Arte and Erica deleted their Instagram profiles.

Months later the pair had made new profiles, and Erica’s life wasn’t going well.

‘Unbeknownst to me he got into a car accident and wrapped himself around a tree.’

During Arte’s recovery he reopened his Instagram, and the couple reconnected. Erica says they picked up right where they left off, chatting on the phone for hours at a time.

People started to notice Arte and Erica’s Instagram relationship, and someone commented that the couple ‘need to get hitched.’ Erica replied: ‘Yeah, well, okay, why don’t we get hitched?’

She followed this up by sending Arte direct messages of lyrics from Beyoncé’s ‘Single Ladies’.

Arte was into the idea, and started planning a trip to meet Erica in person for the first time. It was then that he realised that if he went to visit her, he wouldn’t want to return home afterwards.

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So Arte quit his job and booked a one-way ticket to California. When he arrived at the airport, he and Erica read their vows to each other and got married, letting ‘God be their pastor’ and calling CBS News so they could document the moment.

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The couple say they’re madly in love and couldn’t be happier.

‘I didn’t realize how much I love this man,’ Erica told the Daily Mail. ‘Now that we’ve spend three days together, I can’t believe how much I love him.’

‘I believe this man deserves a lot of love, and I want to give him the love he gives me.

‘I can’t believe how much I love him.’ (Picture: KCal9)

‘[Calling CBS] was a present to his mom, because she wouldn’t be at the wedding since we were eloping.’

Erica’s Instagram bio now says she’s married to the man of her dreams, while Arte’s reads: ‘married to the love of my life.’